Category: Recipes

Southern Dessert: Banana Pudding

This is my go-to when I want something sweet & easy to make. You all know I’m all for easy & somewhat quick recipes. So here is something you can make when you are pressed for time, but have some really ripe bananas laying around and want to satisfy that sweet tooth!

What you’ll need:

9 x 13 glass pyrex dish organic non-gmo cornstarch

whisk vanilla extract

6-7 medium size ripe bananas raw sugar or vanilla sugar

plant-based milk 2 boxes of vegan vanilla wafers

allspice/cinnamon large pot

The “cook” time is about approximately 15-25mins. The chill time is about an hour or two if you like yours cold, which I don’t. I like to eat mine when it cools to room temp.

Directions to make the pudding are as follows:

1.Get your large pot (unheated) and whisk 1cup of milk (I used hemp & almond) and 6Tbsp of cornstarch together until it’s smooth, and lump free.

2. Go ahead and layer your pyrex dish with the first layer being vanilla wafers, covering the bottom and sides of the dish. Then a layer of bananas (slice the bananas into coins about a 1/4inch thick). Now, another layer of cookies & bananas until your run out of wafers.

3.Turn on the stove top to medium heat & add 5 more cups of plant-based milk to your pot. You can also add 1cup of sugar, 2tsp of vanilla extract, and generous pinches of allspice and cinnamon at this time. Stir them in carefully.

4.Stir the pot gently and frequently being careful not to boil the pudding. The key is to get it just before it boils & then reduce the heat to simmer. The pudding will begin to thicken.

5.Once the pudding gets to the point that it is NOT running or dripping off the spoon, it’s just about ready. The thickness depends on how long you cook it, and it will thicken up more as it cools.

6.Now you are ready to carefully pour your pudding from the pot onto your layered cookies and bananas. It’s hot so be careful! After you are done, cover your dish and put it in the fridge or let it cool off on the counter. In about an hour it’ll be ready to enjoy!

♥Mushroom Burger♥

Over the past couple of days I have been in search for a good vegan burger recipe that was not only soy-free & gluten-free, but alkaline. Well I found a couple of mushroom burger recipes, tried them out but they didn’t turn out to my liking. The first round’s recipe was too salty, the second recipe was too mushy & I didn’t like the flavor. So today I decided to just CREATE & BE the alchemist in the kitchen, and make my own recipe. And I must say, I am proud of the outcome. Not only is this burger filling, but it tastes great & the consistency is perfect! Did I forget to mention they’re really easy to make?

Put about a quarter inch of sesame oil in the pan on medium heat. Allow the oil to heat up as you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Coarsely chop the onions & mushrooms, because when you process them you don’t want them to become too fine & mushy. Add to the food processor with the remaining ingredients except the flour. Allow the food processor to chop the mixture a few times not too much. You want to maintain a slightly coarse consistency to prevent the burger from being too mushy.

Once the mushroom mixture is done processing. Place the mixture in the bowl with the flour. Fold the flour into the mixture with a spoon until everything is completely combined.

The oil should be good and hot by now. You are free to create the patty shape with your hands and place them into the oil. Cook evenly for about 5 minutes on both sides, or until your liking.

Once all the mushroom burgers have been cooked to perfection you are now free to build your burger. I had vegan mayo, apple butter bbq sauce, & watercress; all on two slices of oat bread. ENJOY!

Mango Pudding

This has got to be the easiest mango pudding recipe ever! I mean all you need is 3 main ingredients, 3 spices & a blender! You know I’m all about easy, simple & quick recipes as a mom, business woman & wife. My plate is pretty full, not to mention lifestyle coaching & hospital nursing as well. So I don’t have time to spend in the kitchen all day.

So here is something that’s quick and easy. It’s perfect for breakfast because it’s loaded with fiber, protein and healthy carbs. Just the right amount to break your overnight fast & get you started with loads of energy for the day. Plus it’s alkaline! Which means your body won’t have to work overtime to identify it, break it down & utilize it. You will feel amazing because the nutrients you get from this easy dish will be easily absorbed into the tissues and cells of the body. Making your body a lean mean plant-strong machine! Ready to whip this healthy delicious dish up?

Here’s what you’ll need:

A blender (I used the Vitamix)

2 mangoes

2 bananas

3 Tbsp. raw hemp hearts

½ tsp. vanilla extract

a pinch of cinnamon

a pinch of allspice

Directions: Put everything in your blender & blend until everything is smooth and creamy. That’s it! Easy right?!?! (click here to see the end result)

Suggestions: Top your mango pudding with fresh fruit, nuts or seeds to add even more flavor. Enjoy!

Potato Salad Veganized

Potato salad has been a southern favorite side dish for a long time. The original or non-plant based potato salad usually contains eggs. But you know anything you can do I can do vegan, and it tastes delicious! Now I will tell you I’ve put a twist on it. Traditionally, people would boil their potatoes until they become fairly soft, but not me. Keep reading to find out what I do to make this banging dish that your family will love!

Ingredients:

Yukon Gold potatoes

Sweet Onion

Celery

Sweet Relish

Vegenaise

Smoked Paprika

All-purpose Seasoning

Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°

While the oven is preheating, peel and cut the potatoes into slightly chunky cubes. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet evenly and coat the potatoes with olive oil, all-purpose seasoning, and sea salt.

Now here comes the twist! Roast the potatoes in the oven until they begin to brown. For about 20-25minutes. Be sure to turn the potatoes so that they brown evenly.

Once the potatoes are nice and brown put them into a large bowl and allow them to cool slightly. Once cooled, add the remainder of the ingredients. Mix it all up with a spoon making sure to coat all the potatoes with mayo.

If you’ve noticed I have no measurements listed because I don’t measure when I make this dish. I just eye the amount of each ingredient. I put enough onion to taste, because I love onion! I go a little lighter on the celery because I’m not a huge fan of celery but I like the flavor it gives the salad. I think for this batch I cut up one whole stalk finely.

Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes

I don’t know about you but I LOOOOOOOOOVE bread of all kinds — slice bread, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, cornbread, injera, pita bread, baguettes, muffins, cakes, doughnuts, etc. I think you get the point. I love bread. And what’s better on a weekend morning than warm fluffy pancakes that are semi guilt-free. I say semi guilt free because for one they’re vegan, and two they’re gluten-free!

Gluten Free Grains Include, but are NOT limited to…

Teff, Buckwheat, Millet, Sorghum, Amaranth, and Quinoa

These gluten free grains can be a substitute for the wheat based flours in any recipe. Of course each one has there own unique flavor, texture and consistency. You just gotta try them out in different things and see what works best for you.

Now for my pancakes this morning, I used a prepared blend of gluten-free grain mix that I purchased from my local farmer’s market. The blend consisted of buckwheat, millet, sorghum, amaranth and quinoa.

The recipe I used is one I found online some years ago, but I tweeked it a bit to make it gluten-free. I wanted a recipe that was quick, with the least number of ingredients. So, you will find this recipe to be a keeper I’m sure because it only takes 10mins to prep and you only need 7 ingredients!

The recipe for Fluffy Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes are as follows:

Ingredients:

2c. gluten-free flour

1Tbsp. date sugar

1Tbsp. baking powder

Scant amount of sea salt

¼c. coconut oil

1tsp. vanilla extract

2c. dairy free milk ( I used flax milk & almond milk. You can use more or less to suit your desired consistency).

Directions:

You want to mix all the dry ingredient together first. A simple spoon mixing will do.

Then add the milk & vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix well. Go ahead and add the coconut oil now and mash it into the mixture.

Stir all ingredients together until you get a nice smooth consistency. You may see a few small lumps of coconut oil in the mixture but that’s ok.

At this point you can go on and add dark chocolate chips, nuts, or fresh berries to the mixture to make the pancakes even more delicious!

Your cast iron skillet should be nice and hot by now with coconut oil. You can pour the mixture into the skillet, and make the pancakes as big or as small as you want.

Enjoy!

P.S. I like to top my pancakes or waffles with almond butter or peanut butter & warm maple syrup. Yuuuuuuuuuuumy!